Accordion



Sept 3, 1957 LEONE 2,804,795

ACCORDION Filed Sept. 27, 1956 INVENTOR.

My Jaawa United States Patent 2,804,795 ACCORDION Amedeo Leone, Springfield, Mass. Application September 27, 1956, Serial No. 612,486 1 Claim. (c1. 84--376) This invention relates to improvements in an accordion.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a manually operable means for quickly exhausting or relieving air from the chamber of an accordion which is formed by the chamber ends and bellows.

In the operation of an accordion, the player at som period or periods during the playing of a selection desires to shake the bellows for a certain musical effect, that is, to rapidly move the bellows back and forth through short distances.

The shaking of the bellows is very difiicult to accomplish in the extended or nearly extended relation of the bellows. It is more easily accomplished with the bellows extended but a few inches.

The portions of a selection wherein the bellows shaking may be desired is likely to occur when the player has the bellows in a fully or nearly fully extended relation. The problem confronting the player then is to reduce as quickly as possible the extension of the bellows to a condition where shaking is easily accomplished, that is to a bellows extension of a few inches. This is not readily accomplished and requires time whereby the rendition of the selection is impaired and therefore is objectionable from the players standpoint. To reduce the extension of the bellows quickly, the chamber must be relieved of air.

According to the novel features of this invention, means is provided to enable the player of the accordion to easily and quickly relieve the chamber of air and reduce the extension of the bellows. The invention is characterized by a depressible bar along the key-board, which may be depressed by the wrist of the right hand, or key hand of the player. Said bar is connected to and controls an air relief valve related to an exhaust port provided in the valve plate at the end of the air chamber.

The invention will be described in the form at present preferred in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of an accordion embodying the novel features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the rear side of the wall beneath the key-board; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the forward side of the wall supporting the key-board and an adjacent portion of the valve plate having the valve mechanism of the invention associated therewith.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, the novel features of the invention will be fully described.

It will be understood that only so much of an accordion is shown and described as is necessary for a disclosure of the invention.

An accordion is shown as having end chamber members 2 and 4 and a bellows 6 connected and related thereto in the usual manner. A valve plate 8 is disposed over the chamber member 2, as is usual in accordion construction.

A key-board is shown at 10, and valves 12 over the 2,804,795 Patented Sept. 3, 1957 plate 8 are movable towards and away from openings in the plate which are in communication with the chamber. Reed holders, not shown, are disposed beneath the plate 8 and are of usual form carrying the usual reeds, suitably related to the openings in the plate. The valves 12 are connected by rods 12' to the keys and are operated thereby, in the usual manner. A plurality of buttons 14 are shown in association with the chamber member 4 and function as is usual in an accordion.

A bar 20 is provided at the end of the key-board supporting wall 22, which is depressible for relieving the chamber of air. This bar is conveniently located for operation by the wrist of that hand operating the keyboard.

Said Wall 22 is related to the valve plate 8, as shown in Fig. 3. Normally the wall and plate are at an anglesomewhat greater than ninety degrees.

The valve plate 8 and valves are covered by an enclosure portion 24.

Said valve plate 8 is provided with an air port 30. A valve 32 having a resilient pad 34 is movable relative to the port between closed and open positions, see Fig. 3.

A rod 36 extends from the valve 32 and has an end portion 38 journalled in a bracket 40 secured to the valve plate 8. A coil spring 42 has one end secured to the plate 8 by a screw or the like, as shown.

The other end 44 of the spring extends over onto the rod 36 of the valve and urges the valve to the closed position, as shown.

A post 46 of the rod 36 extends upwardly therefrom and is disposed in a slot 48 of a vertical end portion 50 of a lever 52 which is secured to a shaft 54 which is rotatable in and extends through the wall 22.

Said shaft 54 is oscillated by the bar to move the valve 32 from the normally closed position shown, to an open air relieving position by mechanism now to be described.

A plate 60 secured to the rear face of the wall 22 has studs 62 extending therefrom. A. plate 64 is fixed to the bar 20 by any suitable means, and is provided with slots 66 so as to be slidable on the plate 60.

A lever 70 is pivoted at one end, as at 72, to the plate 64 and the other end of said lever is pivoted at 74 to a crank 76 which is fixed to the shaft 54.

As the bar 20 is depressed by the Wrist of the player, the plate 64 is moved inwardly so that the shaft 54 is oscillated, and thereby, through the mechanism described, the valve 32 is moved to open, air relieving position against the action of the spring 42. When the bar 20 is released, the valve is quickly moved to its closed position by the spring.

Levers 80 and 82 are pivoted at 84 and 86 to the wall 22 and are loosely connected to studs 88 of the plate 64, as shown. Said levers, at inner ends thereof are provided with a pin and slot connection 9! as shown. The levers and pivotal connections insure that the bar 20 will move in a straight line when pressed inwardly and when released for outward movement.

As will be observed, the depressible bar 2% is conveniently located adjacent the key-board so that a player may press the bar with the wrist of that hand which is fingering the keys.

As the bar is depressed, the valve 32 is quickly opened for the relief of air from the chamber.

In the open position of the valve 32, the chamber end 4 may be quickly moved inwardly towards the opposite chamber end 2, air being discharged through the open port 30. In this way, an extended relation of the bellows may be quickly reduced to a less extended relation where the so-called bellows shaking is readily and easily possible.

While the invention has been shown and described in O the form at present preferred, various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

It is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States the following:

In an accordion having a compression chamber formed by a bellows connecting a lower chamber end and upper chamber end provided with a valve plate over the upper end of the chamber and an elongated keyboard on a supporting wall disposed outwardly of and along the upper chamber end, the improvement in means for the quick release of air from the chamber for the reduction of bellows extension for shaking the bellows consisting of; the valve plate being provided with an air release port, a valve for overlying and closing the port, connections between said valve and the valve plate arranged for the Swinging of said valve between a closed position over the port and an open position away therefrom, an elongated wrist bar along the outermost end edge of the keyboard and supporting wall for engagement by the wrist of the hand of a player of the accordion with the fingers of the hand on the keys of the key-board, means mounting and guiding said bar for movement thereof towards and away from the outermost end edge of the key-board for movements of said valve between open and closed positions, connections between said bar and valve arranged whereby as said bar is engaged and moved towards the key-board said valve is moved to open position, and spring means arranged to urge said valve to closed position and through said valve and connections adapted to move said bar when released to outer position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 (M ap.- 

